French Onion Soup

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: A Bowl of Onion

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (172)

Cook Time:
1 hr 45 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 45 min
Total:: 2 hr 0 min

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Ingredients

5 sweet onions (like Vidalias) or a combination of sweet and red onions (about 4 pounds)
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white wine
10 ounces canned beef consume
10 ounces chicken broth
10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley tied together with kitchen string
1 loaf country style bread
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Splash of Cognac (optional)
1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.

Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute.

Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe French Onion Soup
Brooks Hazard, KY 01-31-2010
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Delicious, but I am guilty.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I accidently used Apple Cider Vinager. Only about five ounces though as it was all I had. I did use a little extra broth... which diluted the vinegar. Luckily fo me we don't like sweet soups so the apple cider wouldn't have been very appealing to us anyway and the vinager gave it just a little twang we liked. Glad I misread this one.Read more
recipe French Onion Soup
Kelly Long Beach, CA 01-21-2010
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WILL YOU ALL PLEASE READ THE RECIPE CORRECTLY?!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This Reciepe Does NOT call for apple cider VINEGER! It is just plane APPLE CIDER!!!! Recipe is awesome, I have made it 3... times already!Read more
recipe French Onion Soup
ANDREA Dover, NH 01-18-2010
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Did not like!
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

This recipe was WAY too sweet and inedible after a few bites
recipe French Onion Soup
Steve Hoquiam, WA 01-17-2010
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Mmmm, DELICIOUS.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is the best French Onion Soup I have ever tasted. It takes a while, but it is well worth the wait! And yes, read... carefully. The recipe calls for apple cider, NOT apple cider vinegar. Follow the recipe carefully and you won't be disappointed! Absolutely delicious!Read more
recipe French Onion Soup
Jeffrey San Rafael, CA 01-17-2010
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This oup is Awesome...read directions carefeully, it DOES NOT call for vinegar
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

First...this soup is fantastic. Second, someone wrote a review and said this soup was awful because of the vinegar. The... directions call for 2 cups of white wine, but I'll bet a million dollars the reader added white wine vinegar. That would be awful. Yuck. Anyway, follow the directions and you'll be happy you decided to make this soup.Read more
recipe French Onion Soup
debra dearborn hts, MI 01-17-2010
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french onion soup
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

i am cooking this soup as we speak.i immediatly decided to omit the cider vinegar.i used my homemade stock that was not... flavorful enought,i added some worchestshire and a little consume and a couple boullion cubes and salt and pepper and the onions to the stock.i read many recipes about the same thing i want to cook and take the ingredients i like.taste taste until you get the taste you like.i was always one to follow recipes exactly and from all the cookbooks,especially the french,use your imagination and be creative.and taste,taste,taste.i try many recipes and spend much time,searching for ingred over the last 25 years and have many disapointments and spent a lot of money for ingredients but i keep trying because i love food and i love to cook.i just learned how to use the computer recently to even look up these things.i depended on cookbooks and magazines for 25 years and the foodnetwork.to all of you who love food and love to cook i would say keep eating and cooking.my love to JULIA CHILD AND PAUL BOCUSE while he is still here I THINK,Read more